Clover High Choraliers Win 9th State Championship

Wednesday

Mar 27, 2013 at 12:01 AMMar 27, 2013 at 7:19 PM

Clover High School’s choral program has done it again by winning the South Carolina State Choral Festival again this year. The Choraliers have now taken top honors in 9 out of the last 11 years, including four consecutive championships, in the S.C. Music Educator’s Association event.

Directed by Jay Forrest, the 116-member group featuring “American Idol” contestant Ja’Bria Barber, took to the stage at Columbia’s St. Andrews Baptist Church on March 22 to perform two pieces of prepared choral literature for the performance competition. The group opened with Frank Ticheli’s “There Will Be Rest” and capped the performance with “The Conversion of Saul” by Z. Randall Stroope .

Following the group’s performance, it competed in the site-singing competition. During this segment, judges provide the group with an original piece and allow five minutes of rehearsal before an impromptu performance. The Choraliers received a superior rating in this competition.

Also competing at the event was the Clover High School Mixed Ensemble. Comprised primarily of underclassmen, this group received superior ratings in both performance and sight-singing.

The Choraliers and the Mixed Ensemble were among 32 groups representing 16 schools competing in the AAAA classification at the S.C. Music Educator’s Association event

The Choraliers now shift their attention to the spring show, “Miss Saigon,” May 2-5 at the Clover School District Auditorium. Tickets for the show will go on sale to the public starting at 2 p.m. April 25 in the auditorium, 1625 Highway 55 East, Clover.

At Clover High School, the Choraliers is a full-year, credit-bearing course which meets daily for 90 minutes. In addition, students are required to attend a 2-hour weekly evening rehearsal, two annual weekend offsite retreats, and evening rehearsals during winter and spring show preparation.

Course curriculum includes solfege training, music theory, vocal production, and ensemble skills. Repertoire spans choral literature from the classics and master works to jazz and show tunes. The Choraliers perform two full-length productions every year, each featuring a formal concert portion and a fully-costumed, staged musical revue or Broadway show.